Buena Park fire station burns, 3 fire vehicles and a boat destroyed

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A two-alarm fire ripped through Orange County Fire Authority Station 61 in the 8000 block of Western Avenue in Buena Park around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Warn, Contributing Photographer)

Sixty-four firefighters were battling a blaze early Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, at Orange County Fire Authority Station No. 61 at 8081 Western Ave., near Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. A fire truck was destroyed. (Photo courtesy of the Orange County Fire Authority)

A fire at the Buena Park fire station seen in this Google Street View image destroyed a fire truck early Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. Sixty-four firefighters were battling the blaze at Orange County Fire Authority Station No. 61 at 8081 Western Ave. near Knott’s Berry Farm. (Google Street View)

The fire began around 3:30 a.m. at OCFA Station 61, at 8081 Western Ave., across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm. By 6 a.m., more than 60 firefighters from multiple agencies were using tower-mounted hoses and ground lines to hit the fire with water from outside the station house and hoped to begin an internal attack soon, Kurtz said.

The firefighters assigned to Station 61 all managed to escape the burning building without injury, but one 100-foot aerial truck, one battalion chief suburban, one swift water rescue vehicle and one zodiac boat – used for swift-water rescues – were all destroyed, Kurtz said.

No other structures were in danger, including Knott’s Berry Farm.

Western Avenue was closed in both directions while firefighters battle the blaze.

The cause of the incident was unclear and would be investigated as soon as the fire was out, Kurtz said.

The fire would not impact any calls for firefighting or paramedic coverage, Kurtz said.

“We have plans in place for scenarios like this,” Kurtz said. “We’re a very large organization and we have plenty of backup apparatus and quarters.”

Joshua Sudock began his Orange County Register career in 2004 as a photojournalist. In the ensuing years he’s won multiple awards from the National Press Photographers Association, Associated Press and The California Newspaper Association. His work has been syndicated in publications around the world and across the country; from The New York Times to TIME. In 2016, Sudock transitioned from the photo department to the metro desk and became the newsroom’s leadoff breaking news and crime reporter.